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Problem gambling occurs when individuals continue to gamble despite the fact that this behaviour is causing financial, marital, family, legal, social, school or employment problems.
There are certain things to keep in mind when gambling that will keep it safe.
- Set and keep realistic time and money limits.
- Gamble with money that you can afford to lose.
- Keep the balance between gambling and your other leisure activities.
- Don't always play alone.
- Learn about the game before you play.
- And remember to keep your priorities: What comes first? Work? Family? Gambling?
- Preoccupation with gambling/a game.
- Spending increased amounts of money.
- Losing time at work/school.
- Lying or stealing in order to continue gambling.
- Only talking about the wins, ignoring the losses.
It is important to remember that problem gambling is easy to hide from others because there are no outward signs. If the gambler is aware they are experiencing problems, they may increase their effort to hide the negative consequences of their play, therefore even close family or friends may not be aware of problems until they have reached a critical point.
a collaborative effort between, Nina Littman-Sharp, MSW, CGC of the Problem Gambling Service Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario; Evelyn Bakich, RN. CPGC of the Sister Margaret Smith Centre at St. Joseph’s Care Group, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Doug Mayhew, Canadian Automobile Association, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. You can download a copy of our Brochure here - 
- Nina Littman-Sharp, MSW, CGC of the Problem Gambling Service Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario - to
For more information on recognizing the signs of problem gambling, and to understand about choices regarding the gambling of someone you care about, visit our Family and Friends page, or contact us directly!
- Recent studies report that more than half of the adult population in Canada gambles on occasion. Of that number, only about 5% will develop problems with gambling, however, that amounts to about 1 million Canadians.
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68% of all Ontario adults are lottery players; they’ve played before and plan to again (Source: OLGC).
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Since opening, the Thunder Bay Charity Casino has averaged more than 2,900 visitors daily (Source: OLGC).
- Lottery numbers that have a special meaning (anniversary dates, birthdays, etc) have a better chance of winning.
Any random set of numbers has the same chance of winning as do those with a personal meaning. Lotteries are designed to be completely random, in fact there is no reason why the same set of winning numbers could appear two or three times in a row; the odds that this will happen are slim, but the chance still remains.
- Young people do not gamble as much as adults.
Two out of three teenagers gamble. Their gambling merely comes in different forms due to age restrictions. For example they might bet on games of skill like golf, or participate in a sports pool at school or work.
- If you’ve been gambling and losing, you are due for a win.
Gambling means that the outcome of a game is determined by chance, therefore even though it is unfortunate that a person may lose frequently, it does not mean that a win is in their future, winning is ultimately determined by chance!
- Bailing someone out is the best thing to do to help someone who has accumulated gambling debts.
Giving someone money may help them out, however if this person continues to gamble they will only accumulate more debt, and will end up asking for more money. Always be cautious when considering lending money to anyone, protect yourself!
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